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TL;DR:

  • The Who’s “Pinball Wizard” was partly inspired by a spiritual guru.
  • The guru in question claimed to be God in human form.
  • Pete Townshend was one of his followers.
The Who on the grass during the "Pinball Wizard" era
The Who | Michael Putland / Contributor

The Who gave the world many unique rock ‘n’ roll songs. For example, one of the only hit songs about a game is The Who’s “Pinball Wizard.” In his autobiography, Pete Townshend explained how the words of a famous mystic helped inspire the track.

The Who’s Peter Townshend was inspired by a mystic’s belief that God plays around with the universe

Meher Baba was an Indian mystic who taught he was God in human form. Townshend was one of his most famous followers. In his 2012 book Who I Am: A Memoir, Townshend discussed Meher Baba’s influence on The Who’s music. “Meher Baba had spoken about ‘God playing marbles with the Universe,’ and the newly introduced pinball element echoed that in Tommy,” he wrote.

Townshend explained where the title of “Pinball Wizard” originated. “The terms ‘pinball wizard’ and ‘mean pinball’ had been used by [writer Nik Cohn] whenever we played,” he recalled. “In the next three or four weeks it was relatively simple to interpolate ‘pinball’ into a couple of other places in the sequence of Tommy songs, and to redo the necessary vocal lines.” 

Meher Baba wearing a suit
Meher Baba | Bettmann / Contributor

Peter Townshend felt The Who’s ‘Pinball Wizard’ would be a hit even if fans disliked ‘Tommy’

Townshend discussed making pinball central to Tommy. “I made a huge leap into the absurd when I decided that the hero would play pinball while still deaf, [mute], and blind,” he said. “It was daft, flawed, and muddled, but also insolent, liberated, and adventurous.” 

Townshend had faith in “Pinball Wizard.” “I had no doubt whatsoever that if I had failed to deliver The Who an operatic masterpiece that would change people’s lives, with ‘Pinball Wizard’ I was giving them something almost as good: a hit,” he wrote.

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How ‘Pinball Wizard’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“Pinball Wizard” became a hit in the United States. The song reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 11 weeks. The track’s parent album became even more popular. Tommy hit No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 126 weeks. Tommy was The Who’s longest-charting album on the Billboard 200.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Pinball Wizard” was even more popular in the United Kingdom. There, the track reached No. 4 and remained on the chart for 13 weeks. Meanwhile, Tommy peaked at No. 2 in the U.K. and lasted 11 weeks on the chart.

“Pinball Wizard” is a classic track — and it wouldn’t be the same without Meher Baba.

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